Cyclones look to reload, not rebuild

Last fall, the West Prairie volleyball team had a memorable run all the way to the state tournament, ending with a third-place trophy.That Cyclone squad was loaded with plenty of talented seniors who led the program to new heights.That group is gone, but plenty of talented players return and move up the ranks, ready to prove West Prairie was no one-year wonder at state.

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By SCOTT HOLLAND

The McDonough County Voice

By SCOTT HOLLAND

Posted Jul. 11, 2014 at 4:00 PM
Updated Jul 11, 2014 at 4:11 PM

By SCOTT HOLLAND

Posted Jul. 11, 2014 at 4:00 PM
Updated Jul 11, 2014 at 4:11 PM

SCIOTA

Last fall, the West Prairie volleyball team had a memorable run all the way to the state tournament, ending with a third-place trophy.

That Cyclone squad was loaded with plenty of talented seniors who led the program to new heights.

That group is gone, but plenty of talented players return and move up the ranks, ready to prove West Prairie was no one-year wonder at state.

"I have six seniors, five of those seniors are experienced players who also did very well at the junior high level in their own right, just as the group that were seniors last year did," West Prairie coach Teri Paul said. "This is a very battle-tested group and now it's their turn to lead the younger one in the same type of way."

West Prairie is staying active this season as they gear up to defend conference, regional, sectional and supersectional titles.

"We're doing our normal practice regiment, then doing a league at Southeastern," Paul said. "We've done a camp in Quincy in June and we're doing a volleyball camp with Caren Kemner then the Lincoln Land tournament at the end of July that we've been doing the last couple seasons, so we're staying busy"

The Cyclones must replace several key players, so summer results aren't the top priority for Paul, as she moves bodies around to find the right fit.

"We've been a little up and down, we played with some really good consistency and at a high level (earlier this week), but we didn't end the day as well as I'd like," the coach said. "We've been a bit up and down but we're playing a lot of different positions and experimenting with lineups.

"We have a great nucleus with those six seniors and a great mix of young talent, so we're trying to put it all together."

Working with that young talent and finding spots for them is an interesting challenge, but the new group has brought something Paul can't coach or teach.

"I have a lot of young talent and for the first time I can remember in my coaching career, we have some size, so that's something I don't have to worry about," the coach said. "We also have a lot of people who can do a lot of things, so we're trying to find the best system for the whole entire group instead of individuals.

"We have to find a way for the whole group to perform at a high level."

Part of that system isn't replacing the big hitters who left the program, even though hitting will be focused upon this summer, but instead, it's replacing the scrappiest part of the Cyclone team last year, the strong passing anchored by a tenacious back line.

Page 2 of 3 - "That's huge, that's what I told them on Day One, it's going to be very important for who gets and earns playing time, you have to pass the ball and control the ball in several directions, you have to be able to dig and pass," Paul said.

The coach has nothing but confidence that the girls moving up to varsity will be able to fill into their roles, as the youngsters are coming off a successful junior varsity season.

"We were thrilled last year with the junior varsity season," Paul said. "They went 21-4 and everybody earned a lot of quality playing time, which is important at the junior varsity level.

"That's my philosophy, you need to play a lot, as long as you earn the time, we try to play as many as we can, that's the most important thing at the JV level."

Success is what the incoming group knows, as many sat on the bench during last year's varsity run, as well as played on successful junior varsity and junior high teams.

The group is even continuing the success over to this summer's play.

"We have six returning seniors, four juniors and three sophomores on varsity that have played an entire club season and had success on the JV," Paul said. "They've played an entire Club season playing 17-&-under, playing at a higher level to get accustomed to the competition.

"They've done nothing but good things, now we just need to take a huge mix of people and round them up into a cohesive unit that works."

It is indeed a large group for Paul, as her program is reaping the rewards of having success with plenty of players looking to build on the winning tradition.

"We have 28 girls out, I think we had 22 last year, so that's a lot for us," the coach said. "We have 13 freshmen, everyone who played in eighth grade last year came back and in volleyball, that's almost unheard of and a first for us.

"I'm really pleased with that, they're a good group that has a fourth-place state trophy from seventh grade, so they've been successful too."

And Paul realizes that winning creates a hunger for more winning, and that's how a successful program is built, which means the pressure is there for her team to keep up what has been put in place for a big 2014 season.

"It's (winning) is imperative in terms of motivation and how hard you work," Paul said. "Success drives that work ethic and attitude. I'm big on work ethic, I think it goes hand in hand with success in whatever you do.

"Everyone likes to compete and do well, but you have to keep working at it because hard work breeds success and success will keep you working hard."

Page 3 of 3 - Scott Holland can be reached via email at sholland@mcdonoughvoice.com. You can follow him on Twitter @hottscolland81.